Pop In Pet Play

27/11/2025

I had the pleasure of popping in to see this gorgeous boy this week.
His olfactory system worked really hard and In true Labrador style he thoroughly enjoyed his food searches 🐕‍🦺

A very warm welcome to the Pop-in-Pet-Play family 🥰

10/11/2025

10/11/2025

Top tip!!!! ⬇️

Licking is a soothing activity for dogs as it releases endorphins that reduce stress and anxiety.

Licky mats aren’t an easy thing to carry around in your pocket so I’ve come up with an easy way to keep your dog calmer on walks when exposed to a scary stimulus such as an approaching dog, person or object.

Just find a quiet area tucked out the way if you can and produce one of these from your pocket or bag.

Pinks certainly enjoys them as she can find walks a little overstimulating at times. I get them out before is too anxious or goes over the threshold to help her relax and not get to that point.

Give it a go and let me know if it helps 😊

***oh and very important don’t forgot to use dog friendly peanut butter ensuring it does not contain ‘xylitol’ as this is very toxic for dogs. You could use cream cheese, chicken fat or a tastey paste for dogs***👍

07/11/2025

I’d be booking on to this just because Jackie’s lessons are so much fun…. And the dogs are all having a blast!!! No harsh words or corrections just dogs learning in a happy relaxed environment 👍 sadly I’m busy at these times….. highly recommend though…. We should always keep learning new things 👍

Are you free on Monday morning?
Do you have a dog?
When was the last time you did any training with your dog?
Training benefits dogs of all ages, it mentally stimulates and enriches their lives.
It also strengthens your bond.
If you and your dog are free on Monday morning and feel like doing something different to your usual walk why not sign up to my life skills course?
There is always something new to learn together, classes include;
• How Dogs Learn including clicker training.
• How to Progress your training.
• Cooperative Care, including the bucket game.
• Focus
• Potential life saving skills like drop and leave!
• and much more.
My classes are small, fun, friendly and relaxed.
Training methods are modern, kind and fear free.

9.30am only 1 space remaining

https://TheWellHeeledHound.as.me/Lifeskills1

10.45am 2 spaces remaining

https://TheWellHeeledHound.as.me/lifeskills2

Please share.

06/11/2025

This gorgeous adolescent girl is developing really good impulse control 👏

06/11/2025

The beautiful greyhound I am walking with today is one of the few that I spend the entire pop in outside, so more of a pop-out really 😁

She just loves her ‘sniffaries’, almost always bringing me to this lovely little wood as it’s ‘her walk’ 😊

I strongly believe we should give our Canine friends as much autonomy over their lives as possible, while ensuring they are safe 🥰

It does mean I end up stuck in bushes from time to time but hey ho!!! 🤭

Did you know dogs find out so much important information about their neighbourhood and other dogs when they are out using their olfactory system and many essential hormones are released 👍

Do you dictate your dog’s walk or do you allow them to follow their nose? 🤔

03/11/2025

A fun day spent in Amberley, Sussex attending a fab workshop run by team 🙌
The tacit knowledge these guys have is incredible. They are ever evolving and passing on current research and good practice. 👍

Time to look for a new venue and get the odour tins out again me thinks 😊

Please contact me if you and your Canine Companion are interested in having 1:1 lessons in the wonderful activity of scent-detection. Or if you just want a chat to find out what it involves 🤔
Your dog will thank you for it 🐶

16/10/2025

3 Dots and a Dash having a lovely time at Spots Meadow Little Bealings 🥰

14/10/2025

03/10/2025

This week, like most weeks, we have taken in a dog whose owner had sought help from someone who calls themselves a balanced trainer. Someone who uses aversive consequences as ‘corrections’ alongside positive reinforcement to ‘reward’ when working to change a dog’s behaviour.

Let us be absolutely clear: Spaniel Aid does not support or endorse any form of “balanced” training, or any use of aversive training methods or tools. When we are out and about in public places, we are increasingly seeing dogs wearing prong collars, choke leads or anti-bark collars. These tools are designed to change a dog’s behaviour by teaching them to avoid something painful or scary. In the short term, they may be effective in suppressing the unwanted behaviour, but they do nothing to change it for the better in the long term. Often, in order to keep suppressing the behaviour, the intensity with which the tool is used has to be increased, and that has a detrimental effect on the dog’s welfare. Overly controlling and aversive training methods don’t address the root cause of the problem behaviour, or change the way a dog feels about a perceived threat or attraction. All they do is change the response to it, leaving the dog feeling fearful, confused and uncomfortable. Because these negative emotions form part of the training process, the saddest consequence of using aversive techniques is the damage it can do to the relationship, and the loss of trust, between a dog and their human.

If you are struggling with your dog’s behaviour and you seek the help of a trainer, ask them if they use these methods to shut down the behaviour you want to stop. Then ask yourself if you really want to do that to your dog. At Spaniel Aid we see damaged dogs who need to learn to trust and rebuild their relationship with people after unethical training methods have been used, and our fosterers must cope with the behavioural fallout and often unpredictable reactivity that is frequently a result of the use aversive equipment and training techniques. In contrast, ethical training using positive reinforcement focuses on understanding why the dog is behaving how it is, encouraging long lasting behaviour change by setting the dog up to make good choices, and helping the dog to develop new neural pathways, all while building a trusting relationship with their handler. Reward based training results in a dog that feels happier, more relaxed and more self-confident, because they are being listened to and supported in learning at their own pace.

Spaniel Aid supports positive reinforcement training because evidence from multiple well regarded scientific studies shows it’s effective, because it doesn’t damage the dog’s emotional state, and because it’s kind and ethical. Please help us to fight the misinformation and the cruelty inherent in so many of the training practices currently being promoted and offered to owners. Ask questions of anyone you ask for training advice to find out what methods they use, and how they will teach you to support your dog in learning new skills and responses. If their answers don’t feel right in your heart, walk away - our dogs need us to be their advocates because their lives depend on us. Please stand against cruelty: Be another shoulder to the boulder and one day it will roll.

For telephone support: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/get-help/behaviour-support-line
To find an in-person trainer/behaviourist: https://abtc.org.uk/ or https://www.imdt.uk.com/
For online support: https://fbdtas.com/